


Girl Time

by SteelRigged



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF Women, Girlfriend time, Hijinks & Shenanigans, My First Work in This Fandom, Other, Women Being Awesome, Women In Power, female bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2015-06-12
Packaged: 2018-04-04 02:33:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4122697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteelRigged/pseuds/SteelRigged
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After every big battle, the girls need some time to themselves. It helps that there is an Asgaardian tradition in place to make that happen.</p>
<p>Also, Captain America/Steve Rogers meets Lady Sif for the first time. (He's got a thing for formal, ass-kicking brunettes with accents.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Girl Time

**Author's Note:**

> One-shot with the potential for more. I think I just spawned the first Cap/Lady Sif pairing. If you want more of it or the Ladies off by themselves, let me know.

Natasha got her bottle at dinner. It came in a plain package. Wanda got a matching one. Nat wouldn’t have opened her’s at the table, but Wanda did. Pulling out the golden bottle with a look of utter confusion.

“Mead?” she asked. “Who the hell drinks mead?”

Nat smiled. Her phone beeped a second after that. Perfectly timed. This was going to be good.

“Cap,” Nat called across the mess table, “Wanda and I are going to need next week off.” Her phone beeped again. She glanced at it and smiled. “Actually, make that two.” 

Steve furrowed his brow at her. “What’s up?” he asked.

“Reparations,” Natasha replied. She gathered up her plates. “I got to go pack. FYI, Wanda, the fjords get pretty cold at night even in this part of the summer.”

“This isn’t like that thing that happened after New York is it?” Steve asked tense.

“Oh no,” Natasha answered, dismissively, “Pepper is in charge of this one, its going to be so much bigger and wilder in every possible way.” Natasha was grinning a wide lop-sided grin as she backed out of the room. “Huge, Cap, its going to be epic.”

“I had to ask.” Steve said, more to himself than anyone else. 

“Excuse me,” Wanda said inserting herself back into the conversation after Natasha left. “I do not understand, what happened after New York.”

Cap sighed, put his elbows on the table and tapped his fingers together. “Well there is this Asgaardian tradition, a special tradition just between women,” Steven cleared his throat. There wasn’t anything embarrassing to talk about, why did he suddenly feel self-conscious. “If one woman’s kinsmen cause another woman’s kinsmen to go into battle, that woman and her kinswomen have to,” Cap rolled his hands as if that would make the explanation easier, “throw a party for the women whose menfolk were threatened.”

“That is a very curious tradition,” Vision stated. “What is the function of it?”

“Well,” Cap said, not really knowing how to answer Vision's question, “Loki was kind of responsible for New York, so after the battle some woman warrior representing Thor's family showed up and took everyone’s girlfriends off for like a week. Thor kept trying to talk me into crashing the party, saying that I could because I didn’t have a kinswoman there. I think he was worried about what Jane would say to his warrior-woman friend, or what she would say to Jane. When the girl's came back, though, they were all friends and gung-ho about the avenging team.”

“So the woman who sent me this bottle of mead is Tony Stark’s woman,” Wanda said with a dour tone.

“Yes,” replied Steve. "Tony's kinda at fault for Ultron, so now Pepper's going to take everyone out and make sure that there is no bad blood between our, um, families."

Wanda looked at the bottle like it was poison. Suddenly, she moved to throw it at the far wall, but Vision caught it before it hit anything or broke. Wanda tossed her hair over her shoulder, peeved. 

“I will not be going to this party,” she said tersely.

“Fine by me,” Steve reponded, going back to his dinner.

Wanda brooded in silence. Pushing food around on her plate with her fork but not eating anything. 

Vision examined the bottle. “Mead,” He said aloud. “A wine made from honey. A traditional part of many Norse bonding rituals, particularly the establishment of alliances between warriors. Generally considered unpopular for drinking because of its sweetness compared to other liquors," he cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. "This was created on Pepper Potts private estate. She must have been expecting Mr. Stark to cause trouble for some time now.” He held the bottle out toward Wanda with a slight smile. “Would you mind if I opened it? I have never tried mead.”

“Go ahead,” Wanda said. 

Vision opened the bottle and poured a tasting amount into his cup. “It reminds me of Riesling, but more lavender.” He said after a sip. “Why do you refuse the offer of this wine so vehemently?” he asked Wanda.

Wanda pursed her lips. She wouldn’t answer that question for Cap, but for Vision…

“Tony Stark is still the reason my entire family is dead.” Wanda said darkly. “I’ve accepted that this world is a better place with him than without him. I prefer him fighting with me, to being dead. But, I do not want to listen to his woman gush about how wonderful and sweet and good he is. Because, he is not. He is merely useful.”

“Yeah, anyway,” Cap said looking back to Vision, and pointing his fork at Wanda. “Thor once said that’s why they do it. Apparently it’s just an accepted fact in Asgaard that women hold grudges a lot longer than men, and they say there is no peace between brother-in-arms if their kinswomen are in discord.”

“What an interesting way of preserving social relationships,” Vision stated. “There is some wisdom in this practice if it prevents resentment from festering inside a community," he looked at Wanda seriously. "Perhaps you should go.”

“Fuck you,” Wanda said, stomping off angrily.

“What did I do?” Vision asked Cap.

“Never get involved in girlfriend politics,” Steve replied.

# # #

Wanda woke up just before the crack of dawn the next morning. She was bound and gagged. Natasha was sitting next to her in yellow flowered sundress and a large floppy hat.

“Good morning sunshine!” Nat said. “I know you are feeling reluctant to come to the slumber party. But I swear it will be good for you, for all of us actually, so I’m not giving you a choice.”

Wanda started hard at Natasha. She’d gained a lot of control over her powers during the last few months of training. She was certain that with the right amount of eye contact she’d be able to change Natasha’s mind. Wanda didn’t even think she’d feel guilty. Friend or not, if Natasha was going to pull out the Black Widow, Wanda was going to play Scarlet Witch. 

Nat closed her eye and ticked her finger at Wanda. “Don’t try it. I’ve been working on this since the fighting ended. You have no access to your powers for the next 48 hours, after that if you want to leave, you can leave. But in the mean-time you need to come say hello to all the girls, and all the girls need a chance to say hello to you.”

There was roar outside Wanda’s window: the distinctive sound of a Quinn jet rotating its engines and landing in close proximity. Nat smiled.

“Our ride’s here.”

# # # 

Lady Sif had Wanda thrown across her shoulders as she left the compound. Steve Rodger's close on her heels. Natasha followed behind them merrily. She took a moment to spin in the sunshine, her dress spiraling out. 

“You need to put her down!” Cap yelled at Lady Sif. “She doesn’t want to go!”

“Her bottle of mead has been opened and drunk from. The invitation is accepted. She must go,” Lady Sif replied.

“But she didn’t open it,” Steve argued back. “She gave it to Vision because he’d never tried mead before.”

“Is this true?” Sif asked Natasha. 

“I don’t know, I was out of the room.” Nat replied.

“Look you could ask Wanda yourself if you just untied her. I mean doesn’t it seem odd to you that you are having to carry a reveler bound and gagged to a party?” Steve was frustrated and put himself between Sif and the jet.

Sif shrugged. “It is not that uncommon,” she said. 

“What?!” Steve asked, baffled.

“A wife rejects the offer, but her husband accepts because he wants peace among the households. If she allowed her consort to open the bottle then she must come and attempt peace even unwillingly.” Lady Sif replied matter of factly.

"Vision isn't her consort. He's one of Tony's constructs, so I don't even think he even counts as part of her household," Steve argued. 

"Is this true Natasha?" Sif asked. "She can't be made to join the revels by someone outside of her clan." 

“I don’t know. I was out of the room.” Nat replied, with an even bigger smile and what might have passed for a giggle. Steve glared at her.

"Do you have a kinswoman who will verify your story?" Lady Sif asked Steve.

"No" he responded frustrated.

"What about this Vision?" asked Lady Sif.

"He thinks she should go," Natasha inserted, "And just this morning he told me he offered her a drink and she accepted it." 

“Look,” Steve said, glaring at the two women in turn. “I don’t want to fight either of you, but I am simply not letting you carry off a woman in my care without her permission!”

Sif laughed. 

“Step aside mortal,” she said, and reached up an arm to sweep him out of the way. 

Cap ducked and delivered a punch to her stomach that Lady Sif actually felt. She might even have made a soft grunting sound. She looked him over again, more slowly. 

“You are the Captain of American. Thor has spoken of you. I do not wish to kill you. It is best that you not engage in this fight.”

“I’m not that easy to kill.” Steve said, with a slight smile and the sunlight in his hair.

# # #

Ten minutes later and a dozen feet away, Natasha Romanoff, Pepper Potts, and Laura Barton stood watching. Laura was bouncing little Nathaniel on her hip. Pepper had her long frame casually hanging from the open hatch, fingers hooked over the top of the door and ankles crossed. Natasha’s head was cocked to the side and her arms were crossed over her chest.

“Nat,” Pepper asked after a long moment, “have those two ever been in the same place before?”

“I don’t think so,” Natasha replied, tilting her head in the other direction.

“I’m so glad everybody else is seeing what I’m seeing,” Laura added, some what giddily. “I get to tell Jane! I’m calling it now. She’s going to die!!!”

“Oh sweetie,” Natasha said, “we are going to do so much more than just tell Jane.”

“Mm-Hm,” Pepper added in agreement. 

# # #

Wanda was on the ground. She was very thoughtfully leaned upright against a tree in the shade, while Steve and Lady Sif sparred on the lawn in front of her.

“Your desire to protect you pupil is admirable,” Sif said sweeping Cap’s leg out from under him with a low kick. “But it is entirely unnecessary and misplaced at this moment.”

Cap fell, rolled, and got up again four feet away. His shirt was torn and his chest was visible underneath. 

“We will not harm her in anyway,” Sif continued.

“That’s not really the point." Steve said with a smile. "I was taught to always respect a lady when she says ‘no.’” Cap closed the distance between Sif and himself, engaging in a swift set of punches that she dodged. He blocked her as she punched back at him, and captured her arm in the process, pulling it across his chest.

“You fight well,” Lady Sif said. “Thor has not exaggerated your abilities.”

“Thank you,” said Cap. He tried to leverage her arm into a throw that would have rolled her shoulders forward and pinned her to the ground, but Sif kicked up and over the twist in an armless cartwheel, landing on her feet and outside of his grip.

“I will take pride in telling him I have defeated you in single combat,” Sif replied. Then she charged at Cap, and again there was round of swift punches, blocks, and dodges. This time though, it ended with Cap’s arm trapped in Sif’s grip.

“So why aren’t you on the team, again?” Cap asked holding her attention for a moment. It was enough to let him front flip out of her grasp, and then deliver a head-butt that broke their connection.

“I’m just saying,” Steve continued, rubbing his forhead. “Thor hasn’t really talked about you at all, and he should have. Ever thought about joining the Avengers?” 

Lady Sif’s eyes narrowed. “I have never been overly concerned about the goings on of mid-guard.”

“That’s a shame,” Steve replied. “It’s pretty nice down here, and I would love to have you in the field.”

Sif gave a little shrug. Mostly with her eyebrows. “Natasha has always spoken highly of your egalitarian treatment of her in the team,” She replied with a round house kick.

Cap jumped back out of the way. “She’s earned it,” he said, then pushed back into Sif’s space with a side kick. She smoothly sidestepped, taking the opening to land a blow to Cap’s solar plexus. The wind rushed out of him.

“Why do you wish to have more female warriors on your team?” Sif asked the voiceless Cap, suspiciously. “Do you have problems finding women in the normal way? Is that why you have taken over the training of the red-headed one? And now seek to court me?”

Cap sputtered, and then laughed. “I do a bit, actually. Have trouble meeting women,” he said to Sif, “but mostly I just want the best people on my team. And you are obviously one of the best.”

The corner’s of Sif’s mouth twitched in a smile, then her foot flew toward his face and he barely blocked it. 

“You remind me of someone I used to know,” Steve said, as the punches started flying again. 

“Really?” Sif asked, capturing him in a headlock when he ducked beneath one of her jab left–cross combinations.

“Yea,” said Cap casually, “Fierce, beautiful, tough. Always having to fight for the respect of the men around her a lot harder than she should have.” Cap jammed and elbow into Sif’s hip joint and then swept her knees with his left arm, while using her cape to pull her off balance with his right. She fell to the ground and he pinned her with his full weight on her chest. “She had a funny accent, too.”

# # #

“We gotta get going soon,” Pepper said without moving, “flight plan and all that.”

“How much longer can they keep going?” Laura wondered out loud.

Natasha pursed her lips and jogged over to where Wanda was sitting. “You see what’s happening?” she asked the girl.

Wanda nodded. Cap was shirtless and sweating in the sun. Sif looked cool and completely un-mussed. Her armor glittered in the light.

“This is the type of beautiful event that occurs when women support the ideas and emotions of other women.” Natasha said. 

Wanda wrinkled her forehead in surprise, or disbelief, and then snorted. 

“You ready to join the party now? Cause we could use your skill for what we have planned.” Natasha said coaxingly, a naughty twinkle in her eye.

Wanda rolled her eyes, and then nodded yes. So Natasha unbound her and pulled the gag out of her mouth.

“Answer one questions first though,” Wanda said, rubbing her wrists. “How did you suppress my powers?”

“V-man did it,” Nat said with a shrug. “I don’t know how.”

“Why would Vision do that to me!?” Wanda demanded hurt.

“I convinced him that since he was a creation-slash-clansman of Tony Stark, the only way he’d ever really have a chance with you was if you made peace with the Stark household by accepting Pepper’s reparations.”

“Vision likes me?” Wanda asked, zeroing in on the important information. “He’s worried about having a chance with me?” Her eyes were wide with wonder.

Natasha put a finger to her lips, in a shushing gesture. “Not here,” she said with a wicked smile. “We don’t talk about these things until we are airborne.” Mission complete, the Black Widow started running back toward the Jet, beckoning Wanda to follow.

# # #

Pepper smiled as Natasha and Wanda approached. “Sif!” she called out. “Stop messing around. Its time to go!”

Laura sighed. “I better get us strapped down,” she said to the baby in her arms. “No more fight scenes for us!”

Sif unlocked her thighs from around Steve’s head slightly slower than she could have. When she stood, she offered him a hand up. He took it. 

“It was good to meet you, Captain of America,” Lady Sif said.

“Steve,” he replied with a smile. “You can just call me Steve.”

“Farewell, then, . . . Steve," she said awkwardly. "Perhaps our paths will cross again,” she continued with a return to her normal formality, “and I am sorry about your shirt.”

“No problem,” he said. And then hastily ripped the last shreds of the t-shirt, mostly its collar, off his neck. “I was gonna’ get rid of it anyway.”

Sif gave him a short nod and then trotted off to the plane.

She turned around and looked at him seriously as the docking doors closed. He smiled and waived. When the plane was out of sight. He glanced down at the rag of a t-shirt in his hands, actually noticing it for the first time. It was a faded dark blue, and one of his favorites.

He sighed. “Unavailable brunets," he muttered to himself. "They really bring out the idiot in you, Rogers, don’t they.” 

# # #

Lady Sif stood in the jet's doorway as it closed. The Captain of America stood shirtless waiving at her. It was not an unpleasant sight. She found that she was far more intrigued by this mid-guard mortal than she had been by any man in a very long time. Any man other than Thor, at least. 

She pursed her lips. Dalliances with mortals were crude, barbarous, and exploitative even. Thor demanded tolerance and respect for his pet Jane, but that hardly stemmed the whispers in the court. Still it was not unprecedented for warrior to take a human mistress. . . but such consorts were not elevated to rank. They were not made wives. 

Sif had fought long and hard to become a renowned and respected shield woman. But reputation was a strange fragile thing. If she were to take a mortal lover, it would be seen as weakness. She would loose standing among her brothers at arms. All her past accomplishments might well be forgotten in the tawdriness of sexual politics.

Lost in these thoughts, the Lady did not see the looks being exchanged by the women around her. Sif was, therefore, caught off-guard when Natasha sidled up beside her, and said in an overly casual manner. “You know, I saw him make Mjolnir move. I think he probably could have picked it up completely, but he didn’t want to embarrass Thor. He also has no interest is ruling anything, or anybody. That’s just not his way.”

“Natasha, my friend, “ Sif replied. “You are speaking utter nonsense. Let us make better use of this time, introduce me to your new comrade, the Scarlet Witch.”

“Sure, M’lady” Nat said, with a humming amusement. “Right this way.” She gestured out with a sweep of her hand and Sif moved forward.

Nat gave Pepper a wink from across the plane. Pepper smirked in reply.

Wanda looked Lady Sif up and down skeptically, "Don't let Natasha oversell the Captain," she said with a disdainful look. "Vision swept up the hammer like it was nothing. He does not worry about these petty games of rank your men are all so obsessed with," she continued with a dramatic rolling of her r's.

Lady Sif, repressed the desire to snarl at the girl. 

“Okay people, we are underway.” Pepper called from the front as the Plane shifted into auto pilot. “Let the good times roll.”

**Author's Note:**

> Shameless Plug! Most people who like one story I write, like the others, too! Go read all SteelRigged's stories!


End file.
